


A Different Path

by queermoraghid (TheDoctorIsIcecube)



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, Gen, Niall and Mòrag are siblings, Royal Politics, Sibling friendship, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-03-27 21:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13889580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDoctorIsIcecube/pseuds/queermoraghid
Summary: Niall's older sister was supposedly kidnapped when he was a child, and he replaced her as heir to the throne. Yet, ten years later, a young man steals Brighid's core crystal from the royal treasury and, when arrested, is identified as that same person.Stuck in a place he doesn't want to be, Niall's brother is forced to conform to politics he never wanted to be a part of, and he has to struggle in a situation he was never prepared for.





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> It's probably worth noting at this point that the Brighid/Mòrag isn't in the fic yet, but will be in the future :) also yes, I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic at this point. I know. But I can't help it.

Niall watched the young man through the window. As far as he could tell, the man didn’t know he was being watched, and he hadn’t looked up since Niall had entered the prison block. The soldiers hadn’t wanted him to come here at all, but given the results of the tests...he knew he had to. He had to speak to this man himself and get a better sense of the true story.

Niall nodded to the prison guards and then headed further into the cell block, unlocking the door to the young man's cell. He looked up when Niall entered, and then looked back down again, clearly not wanting to talk all that much. "Hello," Niall tried. "Ah... I think we have a lot to discuss."

"You're the Emperor," the man noted. Niall didn't say anything, and he continued. "You're shorter than you look when you're standing up on that pedestal."

"I'm only fourteen," Niall said, shrugging. "But regarding my being the Emperor, there's...an issue that's arisen from your presence here. You're related to me. You're Mòrag." At the sound of that name, the young man visibly flinched.

"My name is Moireach," he said sharply. "I don't see why my presence here is an issue. I'm a prisoner here, a criminal, and you're the Emperor. I don't have any right to succession."

"Legally, you do." Niall sat himself down on the bench next to the man, folding his hands in his lap. Sitting next to a criminal probably wasn't advisable, but Niall knew that he was safe around this particular criminal. "And you stole one of the blades from the treasury, so now you kind of have to stay here. Poor Brighid is rather confused at the moment, as you can imagine."

"I'm sure Brighid can handle herself just fine; blades are perfectly capable without drivers. If you released me, I would not stay for a moment." Niall tried to ignore the sadness he felt at that remark. He was trying to help Moireach here, but he wasn't having any of it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "My memories are faint, but I do recall us being very close. If you don't mind my asking... What did happen to you, Mor- Moireach?"

"I left," he said. "I was unhappy here. At the time I went with the first people who asked me to go with them, and it turned out to be the right choice. I won't tell you a thing about them."

Niall knew it was childish, but he couldn't help the petulant frustration that bubbled up inside of him. This was his sibling, why was there so much hostility? He bowed his head until he could calm himself down, then took a deep breath. "I won't ask you to, don't worry. Anyone who took such good care of my...my brother, deserves at least some credit."

Moireach made a sort of huffing noise that Niall couldn't interpret. It could be a pleased sound, or a noise of derision, but he couldn't tell which. "I doubt you would say that if you knew more, but...thank you."

"It is no problem. This probably sounds silly, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother." Niall glanced down at his lap, allowing himself a small smile. "I'd like to get to know you again. I realise you likely want nothing to do with me, but if you do... My arms are open."

"I would like to leave," he said. "If I am to be a prisoner I have no reason to interact with the Emperor. If I am not a prisoner then I would like to be allowed to leave the palace."

"I would let you leave if it was up to me, but with an imperial blade in your position, the Senate won't allow it. They wanted me to have you killed, originally, but then they found out who you are. Now they're demanding that you take your 'rightful place' in the court. I dread to think what that means."

"And if I refuse?" He asked. Niall held in a sigh. He hated politics, but this was downright exhausting. How could one man be so stubborn? There were hundreds in the Empire who would kill to be in his position right now.

"Then the Senate demands that I keep you locked up, unfortunately. They seem convinced that your opinion will sway with time." Niall gave Moireach an apologetic look. "None of this was my idea. Truly, I just want my brother to be happy."

"You're not doing a very good job," he said with a scowl. "I imagine I'll- if I even took you up on that offer I would sit there and they would use that name and disrespect all my wishes. You would not be able to keep me here if that is the case."

"If I were to speak to the Senate, make it law that they call you by your chosen name, would you consider staying?" Niall was determined to be hopeful about this. "I can force them to agree to something minor like that without my credibility taking too much of a dent."

"That is unnecessary," he said immediately. "I have my pride." Niall got the feeling, however, that the whole thing was a very touchy subject for him and that resolution wouldn't hold up in time. But for now he was happy to accept anything Moireach wanted as long as it meant he'd stay safe.

"Of course." Niall lifted a hand, considering resting it on Moireach's arm, and then thought better of it and let it drop into his lap again. "Regarding Brighid- someone has attempted to explain the situation to her, but I think some words of reassurance from her driver would help. Would you speak to her, make sure she knows what is going on?"

"I'm sure she can handle herself," Moireach said, repeating his earlier sentiment. "I am willing to speak to her but I very much doubt I am necessary for reassuring her."

"You are her driver. Considering how recently she was awakened, you make up a good portion of what she knows about this world." Niall got to his feet, inclining his head towards Moireach. "I shall take my leave of you and ask the guards to send Brighid in. Are there any small comforts you would like in here whilst I convince the Senate to find you more suitable quarters?"

"This is fine," he said. "May I ask if anyone else was arrested alongside me? I'm not asking to see them, I just want to know."

"No one," he said. "Your other blade escaped, as far as I have heard from reports."

"Huh." Moireach looked vaguely surprised by that. "I imagine she will be back. Finch is very attached to me. Please do keep an eye out for her..." 

Niall took note of that, and also made a mental note to search through the records to find out what this Finch looked like. "I will," he assured Moireach. "And I will have someone bring you another pillow, even though you didn't ask. I remember you used to sleep on at least four."

Moireach looked away and didn't say any more. Niall tried not to show how frustrated he was by the man's decidedly lukewarm behaviour and just left the cell. He passed on his orders to the guard as he left and just hoped that everything would be fine.


	2. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brighid gets to meet Moireach.

“My Lady Brighid,” a man said after knocking on her door. He bowed to her when he entered, a low bow that meant she could see the back of his helmet from where she was sitting. “His Majesty wishes for you to...take a moment to speak to your driver, if you are willing to do so.”

“Oh, of course I am.” Brighid had been waiting all day for this. Awakened by an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar place, and barely half an hour after that she had been dragged away from her driver and informed that she was stolen property. A moment alone with her driver was all she had wanted since then. 

“Then follow me, Lady Brighid,” he said, indicating the doorway as if she didn’t know how to leave a room before he started down the corridor. She had been placed in a fairly nice room in a nice area of the place she was in (she had been informed it was a palace), but she’d barely seen other people. She had just been left to her own devices, wondering what was going on.

She followed him down a few long corridors, then down some stairs and through a door into a much less salubrious part of the palace. A prison of some kind, she quickly deduced. Why was her driver being held in here? As they walked further in, Brighid could sense the ether bond between them growing stronger, until she could feel her driver’s worry. “Here you go, Lady Brighid,” the man said. “Be careful in there. She’s not friendly to people, as a rule.”

Brighid glanced into the cell. The person who was supposedly her driver was a person with short dark hair and they were sat with their head down, looking at their hands. They were dressed in dark clothes that covered their whole body, and they seemed to be without a coat.

“It’s cold,” she said sharply. “And you seem to be depriving my driver of proper clothing. Fetch a coat, please.” She plucked the key to the cell out of her escort’s hand, watching him until he nodded and hurried off, hopefully to do as she said. Brighid let herself into the cell, and her driver looked up, seemingly surprised to have company. 

“You’re Brighid,” they said, clearly surprised. Their voice was different to those she had heard before now; the accent was less harsh than the others and their voice had a strange cadence to it that meant Brighid couldn’t work out the gender of her driver.

“I am.” She sat down next to her driver, resting her warm hands on their arms. They were cold; she had been right to ask for a coat. “I never caught your name. We were too busy running, and then apparently getting arrested. I’d appreciate knowing what that was about, too.” 

“I stole your crystal,” they said. “My name is Moireach. I...am related to the Emperor, he’s my younger brother, but I haven’t been here in a while. I wanted to take your crystal but I ran into some trouble.”

“I see.” Brighid had enough sense to realise that maybe Moireach wasn’t entirely in the right here, but she was bound to protect her driver. Whatever they had done, Moireach was hers to protect now. “Forgive me for asking, but- your attire and voice are making it a little difficult for me to work out your gender…” 

“I’m a man, but-”

“No buts, I imagine,” she said with a smile, immediately. “No matter how the guard referred to you.” The guard had referred to Moireach as female, and that was all she needed to know about the situation.

“Thank you.” Moireach folded his arms, looking away from Brighid again.

“Are you cold? I asked the guard to bring you a coat, but I’d be happy to help warm you up in the meantime. You may have noticed the fire consuming my entire arms. It’s quite hot, when I want it to be.” 

“N-no, I’m fine,” he said immediately. “I was wearing armour before and they made me take it off. It’s not too cold here. A coat is appreciated, though, I- thank you.”

“There’s no problem,” Brighid said. “I’m glad to be able to help you, though I don’t really understand what’s going on or why you awakened me.”

“I awakened you because I hoped that you would help me fight to get away. I got separated from my other blade, Finch…” Moireach sighed, glancing down at the floor again. Brighid felt more worry rush through their ether link. “I hope she’s alright. She’s forgetful, I doubt she remembers what’s going on.” 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help in your time of need,” she said, and Moireach immediately shook his head.

“It’s not your job to constantly protect me,” he said. “I did not give you enough time to understand what was going on. I’ve brought you into a difficult circumstance and I should have thought about you before doing so.”

“You’re very kind, but still… In future, I will endeavour to protect you fully no matter the situation. You have my word on that.” Brighid bowed her head slightly, and she saw Moireach shift slightly as though uncomfortable. Not keen on the bowing thing, then. She would have to find something else to say, to break the tension. “Will they set you free?” She asked.

“They have no reason to,” he said. “They could very easily kill me now and return you to your core. They have no reason not to, especially given the crime I committed.”

“Is that likely?” This new life of hers was new, but Brighid had no desire to end it just yet. There was still so much to do in this world.

“I don’t know.” Moireach shrugged. “The Emperor seems to like me. He’s just a kid, but...he’s smart. If he can convince the Senate I’m good, then I’ll be fine.” 

“That’s good,” she said. “I don’t feel any desire to end my new life here so soon. If- when they release you, I hope things can be better for you than sitting in a cell.”

“The Emperor wishes to trade this cell for a more gilded one, I’m afraid,” Moireach said, shooting her a sort of sad smile. “But I would rather be alive than dead.”

“As would we all, I’m sure.” Brighid glanced around the cell, her gaze fixing on the small, high window right at one end. “I’ve not actually been outside, properly, in this life. You awakened me in this palace, and we barely got past the courtyard… Do you think they’ll allow me to go out if they wish to keep you captive?” 

“They respect you more than I,” Moireach said with a sigh. “I’m sure they’ll allow you to do as you please.” Brighid frowned at that. Surely they cared about her driver just as much as her. Anything else didn’t make much sense. Then again, they had him in a prison cell.

“If I am to be allowed to walk outside, I shall insist that you are allowed to come with me,” Brighid said firmly. She would not stand for any further mistreatment of her driver. “Anything less would be an injustice.” 

“I’m a prisoner,” he said, looking quite worried. “Please, don’t push them to do things just yet. It would not be safe for you, if you want to continue existing in this life.” Brighid frowned again. She didn’t feel like she was in danger from these people. They seemed to respect her greatly, even if they didn’t care for her welfare.

“Alright…” She wasn’t convinced, but it seemed best not to argue. “Would you like me to see how the search for your other blade is coming along? I know you must be worried about her, I could sense it when you were telling me about her.” 

He looked away, up at the tiny window in the corner of the cell. “If you can do that, I’d like that, but don’t feel obligated to serve or help me. I don’t hold any jurisdiction over you and you should make your own way in this world.”

“I am your blade, if I can help you, I will.” Brighid frowned. Did Moireach not want her? It seemed strange that he should have summoned her if he didn’t intend to use her powers for anything. “We are supposed to be partners.” 

“I don’t know you,” he said. “I would rather not use your power when you don’t know what I’m using it for. You’re not stupid, I know, but I don’t want to exploit you just because you’re the blade I summoned. I don’t own you.”

“I never said you did own me,” Brighid said, folding her arms. “But if my not knowing you is the issue, it seems like it can be easily fixed. Tell me what I should know, and I shall make my own decision about what I should do for you.” 

Moireach threw his hands up. “I appreciate it, I really do,” he said. “But please understand. I stole you for selfish reasons. I wanted to take something I saw as mine because I...I can’t really justify it while these guards are here. I would be executed on the spot.”

"It's fine," Brighid insisted. "Whatever your reason for awakening me, it's done now. I am your partner. You're stuck with me, alright? For as long as you're alive."

"That's not the point," he said. "You don't have to be my partner. And I don't think you know enough of me to be my partner. I'm not deserving of your kindness."

"The only thing stopping me from knowing more about you is you," Brighid pointed out. She stood up, walking to the cell door. "I shall work on getting you out of here. Then, I expect you to tell me whatever it is you're too worried to say in here."

Moireach nodded. "I can agree to that. Please don't put yourself in danger on my account, Brighid." She nodded and left the cell. She would get Moireach out of here and then, finally, she'd be able to understand why he was so reticent with her.


	3. Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall gets Moireach freed from the cell.

Niall wasted no time after leaving Moireach in his cell. No doubt the members of the Senate would be busy with some other matters, but they would just have to make some time to talk to him. This was business of the highest importance, after all. It concerned his family, and it wasn’t like it was an issue they didn’t want to solve as soon as possible. 

He walked into the meeting room without waiting for the speaker to announce his presence. He understood the formalities and all, but he didn’t have to get them to follow it all the time. He didn’t want Moireach to be in the hands of soldiers for another moment if he could help it.

“My apologies for interrupting your meeting, but there is an urgent matter that I must discuss with you.” Niall took his seat at the head of the room. “My brother is imprisoned in our cells, and I want him out.” There was immediately a murmure going around the room- Niall could make out some distinct mutterings about his use of the word ‘brother’. 

“I would advise against just releasing a prisoner who stole a valuable object.” One of the Senators stood immediately and spoke, and the people around him spoke their approval of his comments. “We know nothing about her other than her heritage. We don’t know where she has been staying or why she stole the item.”

“He is my brother,” Niall said firmly. “I trust him enough to allow him to walk around the palace unfettered. Whatever his reason for taking Brighid’s core crystal, I can only imagine it was an act of desperation. He deserves at least a chance to explain himself to me, and he will not do so until he is freed from that cell.” 

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, this is not a wise course of action,” someone else said. “However you wish to refer to your erstwhile sibling, it is undeniable that when they are present, you are not first in line to the throne. It complicates matters incredibly, especially considering that Mòrag is of age and you are not.”

“That entirely depends on whether or not he wishes to take the throne,” Niall said. “So I want him released and given comfortable quarters. Allow him on the palace grounds, but not outside of them just yet. And I want a lookout across the area for a small blade in the shape of a humanoid bird, going by the name of Finch.” 

“I suggest that we assign a guard to him so he cannot engage in any more illegal activities,” he said. “Please allow us to keep an eye on ‘him’, your Majesty. You may trust him but there are many who do not and there are others still who would rather see him on the throne than you.”

Niall considered it. “I will allow a discreet guard to be assigned to him, on the condition that the Senate accepts my brother’s choice of name. He no longer goes by Mòrag, but Moireach. Now, please allow my brother to be released, and get a patrol out for his missing blade.” 

The Senators seemed reluctant, but they wrote out a release warrant and some orders for a commanding officer to do as he had ordered. Moireach wouldn’t be pleased by the compromise, Niall was sure, but he couldn’t have done much else. He wanted his brother to be safe, and assigning a guard to him without his knowledge was one good way to do that. He made sure to hover over the Senators until the orders were complete, and then he read them over just in case they’d managed to slip in something unpleasant. He didn’t trust these men one inch. 

Once that was done, he went to see Moireach again to tell him the good news. It was a good step forward for him to be allowed out into quarters of his own, and maybe then he would finally find out what was going on. He wanted his brother to stay here, and he was willing to do almost anything for him to ensure that.

Down in the cells, he was still sitting alone. He looked worried, Niall noticed. For himself? For his missing blade? Probably both. He sighed, then went to go unlock the cell door and let himself in. “Hello,” he greeted. “I have some good news. You’re to be allowed out of this cell, effective immediately. You’re confined to the palace grounds, but you can go anywhere you want in them.” 

Moireach nodded, shooting Niall a faint smile. “Thank you,” he said after a moment. “Sorry, I- did Brighid speak to you at all? She came to see me and said she wouldn’t settle for me staying here.”

“I haven’t heard from her yet. I went straight to the Senate after leaving you, so it seems to me that she may not have had time to reach them. We must have just had the same goal in mind.” He smiled. “Shall I show you to some nicer quarters? Your childhood bedroom is available, but if you’d prefer something else, this is a palace. We have hundreds of rooms.”

“I know this is a palace,” he said. “I lived here for eight years.” Niall tried not to frown at that. Moireach was so...blunt. Abrupt to the point of being rude, if he was being honest. “I can go wherever is convenient.”

“Your old room is next to my current quarters. It...would be nice to be close to each other. So that we can talk.” Niall beckoned for Moireach to follow him out of the cell. “If it brings you any comfort, I also ordered a patrol out to search for your blade, Finch. They should find her soon.” 

Moireach nodded and followed him. He had a soldier’s coat on that hadn’t been there when Niall had left him earlier, which was strange, but it fit him very well. His brother was clearly more built up than he was, and it was obvious he didn’t spend his whole life sitting around doing paperwork like he did.

“Your blade, Finch… If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you had her? You seem worried, that’s all…” Niall glanced up at Moireach, whose expression had noticeably tensed up at such a personal question. 

“A while,” he said. “We’re good friends, and I’m close to her. I have other friends, and they can look after themselves, but Finch isn’t like that. She’s just very, very forgetful. So I’m worried.”

“If anyone finds her, you’ll be the first to know after me,” Niles assured him. He came to a halt outside of Moireach’s old room. There was a black drape on the door- after all, he’d been missing and presumed dead- but Niall hastily pulled that off.

“Cheery,” Moireach said, looking at the black cloth now collected in Niall’s hands. “Back from the dead now, am I?” Niall looked up at him (and he had no business being quite that tall), and he was grinning down. “Don’t tell me the walls are painted black or something.”

“Um, no, they aren’t. I think they’re painted blue… I remember you throwing a fit and scribbling all over them as a child when someone decided you needed pink walls.” He opened the door, peering inside just to make sure there wasn’t anything else grim and memorial-y. There was not, just an old children’s room that hadn’t been touched in years.

“It’s dusty,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Was it just left? And people have been mourning me for ten years?” Niall nodded. They hadn’t been actively mourning, but it had always been in the background.

“Sorry about the dust,” he said. “I can get a cleaner in here immediately. Unless you’d prefer another room…” 

“No...no, this one is fine…” Moireach sounded a little distant, and Niall could see him staring off around the room. There must be so many memories here for him, even more than Niall had. “I hated living here, you know,” he said.

Niall nodded. He hadn’t known it in such strong words, but he had been told a few times by his parents that his missing sibling hadn’t been ‘well behaved’. He didn’t remember that time very well, honestly; everything that happened after Moireach had disappeared were some of his earliest memories.

“I remember you telling me you didn’t like being a princess,” Niall reflected. “And I asked you if you could be a prince instead. You seemed kind of impressed with that thought… I don’t suppose I really knew what I was talking about back then, I can’t have been more than four.” 

Moireach laughed lightly. “I don’t remember that, actually,” he said. “But it rings a bell.” Niall was slightly hurt that he didn’t remember, but that was fine. They had this time to make more memories together now. “I remember our parents telling me that I should be quiet like you.”

“I liked that you weren’t quiet,” Niall admitted. “I wanted to be more like you, but I think i was too shy to ever really stand up to anyone. I’m glad that’s had to change in recent years. I’m not sure a pushover would make a very good emperor…” 

“I don’t think anyone can expect someone your age to be a perfect emperor,” Moireach said, offering Niall a smile. People said that all the time, yet that was the first time it had ever felt genuine. “You’re young. When I was fourteen...actually, you don’t want to know.”

“Actually, if you’re willing to tell me, I do want to know.” Niall smiled back, hopeful. “You are my brother, after all, and I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least try to get to know you. So please, if you have a story, go ahead and tell it.” 

“I got up to a lot of things you don’t want to hear about,” he said.

“I told you, I do want to hear.” He didn’t understand why Moireach was being so reticent now; he was safe.

“It was illegal,” he said.

“Oh.”

“See. It’s best you don’t hear about this sort of thing if you want to keep the good opinion of me that you apparently have.” Moireach folded his arms. “I may tell you one day, but not just yet.” Arms still crossed, he wandered over to the window. “I remember this view… I used to climb up on the windowsill and watch the soldiers train every day…” 

“Do you have an interest in that kind of thing?” He asked. He hadn’t been allowed to take an interest in military matters other than basic strategy because they didn’t want the only heir out on the battlefield.

“I know how to fight.” Moireach shrugged. “When I was a child, it was the neatness with which they performed their drills that fascinated me. Not a person or blade out of line, ever. I’m not sure I would take so well to actually being a soldier, however.” 

“Why not?” He asked. Maybe he sounded annoying, but he wanted to know everything he could about Moireach right now. Just so they could get to know each other better as soon as possible. “I just wanted to ask.”

“I’m more of an independent sort of person.” The way Moireach spoke made it sound rather a lot like he was starting to get annoyed at Niall’s questioning. Oops. “Fighting in an army is just not my style.” 

“I’m not allowed to fight at all,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll admit I like the idea of being a driver. Drivers are so amazing and strong, but I’m not allowed to try and resonate with any cores in case it goes wrong.”

“As if it would go wrong for you,” Moireach scoffed. “You rule the country. Nobody has a stronger spirit than you, and you’re only- what, thirteen? Fourteen, by now?” He had a point. Niall had considered that argument himself, but he’d always been rebutted every time he asked about summoning a blade. “And I’m here now. They don’t want me to take the throne, sure, and I don’t want it either, but you’re not the only heir now.”

“Legally you’re still dead,” Niall said. “You can’t be the heir, and it’s all going to be complicated legally because I’m still in my minority.”

“Ugh. I’m very glad I missed the part of my childhood when they would have felt it necessary to educate me in complicated political twaddle. You have my deepest sympathies for being forced to have all of this nonsense in your head.” Moireach smiled slightly, which Niall presumed was an indicator that he wasn’t being entirely serious. 

“It isn’t complete rubbish,” he said. “It’s very useful, for one. I couldn’t imagine my job without the politics, and I can’t imagine the lessons I had without schooling on politics too.”

“Well I had time for combat training,” he said with a small smile. “And having a life. Have you seen much of Alrest, outside of Gormott and Mor Ardain?”

“Um… I have not,” Niall admitted. Travelling outside of the Empire just hadn’t been deemed necessary at any point in his life, and so it had never happened. “I would like to, though. One day. Just...likely not any time soon.” 

“You should see Alrest,” he said firmly. He looked so certain, and almost happy now. Finally, something Moireach felt comfortable talking about. “Have you been to Indol? It’s beautiful, such a shame about the Praetorium on top of it. And Uraya is stunning.”

“I briefly visited the Praetorium to speak with the Praetor, but there was no time to see the rest of Indol, unfortunately.” Niall sighed. He’d heard stories about how beautiful Uraya could be, with its glowing trees and sparkling water. It seemed the veritable opposite of Mor Ardain. 

“I didn’t go there often because of the people I was living with,” he said. “But I’ve been everywhere else in Alrest, bar Tantal. Does Mor Ardain often pass the Cloud Ridge? It’s monumental and absolutely unforgettable.”

“I’ve seen it a few times. I’ll be honest, I don’t have that much time to watch the scenery.” It was true, but sad. Niall always wished he had more time to enjoy the cloud sea; it was so beautiful, after all. 

“You should take some time one day,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to appreciate the beauty of things, especially when you live somewhere like Mor Ardain.”

“Mor Ardain is very beautiful!” He protested. He loved his country, if not for the wide expanses of open land and rock formations, then it was for the lights of the Titan at night, and if even that couldn’t be considered beautiful then there was a sort of beauty in the city.

“You might not be saying that after you’ve seen the rest of Alrest,” Moireach said with a small smile. He seemed pretty confident of that, in a way that made Niall wonder just how much he had been missing out on in his relatively sheltered life. “I-I promise I have enjoyed talking to you, Niall, but I’d appreciate a little time alone. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“No, of course, that’s perfectly fine!” He said. He’d finally managed to properly speak to Moireach, and that made him as happy as he could be with this situation. “I’ll leave you be. Thank you for agreeing to this.”

“That’s alright. Make sure Brighid knows where I am, please? And...let me know if you hear anything about Finch.” Worry passed across Moireach’s face again, but it was gone in a second. “It’s been good talking to you, Niall.”


	4. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brighid gets to properly talk to Moireach.

Two hours after she’d left Moireach alone in his cell, Brighid found herself rapidly tasked with finding him again. It took talking to two different guards to discern where the young emperor had put him, but she made her way to his room as fast as she could. She wanted to see him now he was free so she could ask him about how he truly felt. She needed to know what was really going on here. She didn’t like being kept in the dark.

She knocked on the door, cracking it open after a moment to find Moireach just setting down what looked like a children’s book. He seemed almost surprised to see her, as though he had been expecting someone else. “My apologies for intruding. I just wished to talk to you a little more.” 

“That didn’t take you long,” he said with a small smile. “I’ve only been here for a short while. You can talk to me, though, if you’d like to. I think we can speak a little more freely now.”

“Thank you.” Brighid closed the door behind her, taking a moment to glance around the room. Designed for children, so she quickly deduced that this room must have belonged to Moireach as a child. “To get straight to the point, I want you to tell me what you were too scared to say earlier.” 

Moireach’s smile faded. “Maybe it’s a bit soon for that,” he said. “I don’t know you all that well. It’s quite a personal thing that I’m having to leave in the past for the moment. I’d just like to know you, without you knowing all the things I can no longer act on.”

“Okay…” Brighid turned away slightly so Moireach wouldn’t see her frown. He was mysterious, and every rebuttal of her questions only made her more curious. “Why don’t you just...tell me more about yourself, then? This room… I assume it was yours?”

“It was,” he said. “It was just next to the rooms my parents and my little brother lived in, connected by a door in the wall. The door is gone now, and so are my parents, actually. And there was a black drape on this door before I came back. It’s...not a fun thing to think about.”

“I can imagine.” Brighid sighed. She still knew nothing about Moireach’s past, but it was becoming increasingly clear that it was a very complicated thing. It was going to take a long time to even start to figure out everything that had happened to him. “Did you leave on purpose? I think someone mentioned you had gone missing.”

“I did,” he said. “I didn’t like living here, so I left when someone gave me the option, and I was very happy there. They’re...probably worried about me now.” He turned away, hiding what Brighid could guess was an expression of sadness. 

“If they’re worried about you, why not go back? I realise I’m a blade of the Empire, but I’m your blade. If you left here, I would leave with you. I couldn’t imagine being without my driver.” 

“It shouldn’t be that way,” he said. “You’ve barely come into this world. I want you to be able to make a properly informed decision about what you want. Blindly following a driver just because you’re their blade is something I can’t support. You wouldn’t know what you were getting into, and I’m not free to go anyway.”

“I would love to make an informed decision about my future. Unfortunately, someone is refusing to share any details about my driver with me,” she said sharply. Brighid fixed Moireach with a pointed look, aware that even though her eyes appeared closed, she could still look pretty intimidating to a human. 

Moireach sighed. “I swear I will tell you as much as I can when I feel ready,” he said. “I miss the people I was with until recently. I don’t want them to get into any danger on my behalf just because I have a big mouth.”

“Hmm.” Brighid was still pretty sure that it wouldn’t kill Moireach to share at least a few details with her, but it seemed like this wasn’t a fight she could win for now. “Very well, then… I expect to be given more information at some point soon, though.” 

“I can tell you that they, and I, stand against everything this godforsaken empire seems to strive for. That’s why I took the core crystal,” he said. “Not for me, though it ended up being for me, and all of it for nothing. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

“What exactly does this empire strive for that you hate so much?” Brighid frowned. “And if you did not intend to use my core crystal for yourself, who would you have given me to instead?” 

“No one,” he admits. “I just didn’t want all the noble blades of the Empire to be used by people just perpetuating their own imperialist existence. Mor Ardain uses its military might to impose its will on others, plain and simple.”

“I see.” Brighid had her doubts about that, but it was hard to tell if they were true doubts or just some sort of strange imprint of her past lives that she couldn’t shake. She resolved to figure it out at some point, perhaps talk to some other people and see what they thought about Mor Ardain. 

“I don’t want to be here,” he said. Brighid looked on in concern as Moireach looked wildly around the room. “It’s exactly like it was so many years ago. I hated it then and I hate it now.”

“You could get away,” she suggested. “You could leave once they set you free, and then you don’t have to come back.”

“Will they ever set me free? At this point, I doubt it.” Moireach sighed. “I’m still not quite sure what they want from me. Young Niall seems pleased to have me here, and he’s a nice enough kid, but he seems far too innocent to be emperor.” 

“He is certainly very pleasant,” Brighid said. She’d barely spoken to him for more than a few moments, but he was lovely. He was soft spoken and not at all loud like a lot of the people she’d encountered. He wasn’t aggressive, either. He didn’t line up with Moireach’s view of Mor Ardain, for sure.

“He’s a child. An intelligent child, but still a child. No doubt he’s being manipulated by the Senate, and as he grows older he will come to share their views. I feel bad for him, but I doubt there’s much that I can do to change that.” 

“You’re his brother,” Brighid reminded him gently. “He loves you. You could change his mind very easily.”

“He’s young, but he’s not an infant,” he said. “He won’t trust blindly. But he’s been brought up in a world where his goal is to maintain his own power, and why would he want anything else? He’s the most powerful person on this titan and one of the richest in all of Alrest.”

“He didn’t strike me as the selfish sort of person,” Brighid mused. “Do you think that perhaps you might be stereotyping him a little? It seems to me that it would be worth actually talking to him, finding out what he actually thinks about everything.” 

“I don’t want him to keep me here longer than necessary,” he said. “I feel it would be better to stay quiet, win his trust, and get away. I-I will not feel pleasure in disappointing him, but he’s no longer really my brother. It’s been far too long.”

“My instinct as a blade tells me I should agree with you because you are my driver. But, since you seem quite insistent on me thinking for myself, I’ll tell you that I think you should get to know him better, and that I think it would be a wasted opportunity if you simply used him and then left. You want to change this world, yes? Use the power your birthright grants you.” 

Moireach snorted, and Brighid found herself growing quite annoyed at how stubborn he was being. “It isn’t mine and I don’t want it. I have my own way of changing the established order of things, and buying into all of this is the opposite of it.”

“Fine. As your blade, I will support you in whatever you do. But I still think you’re making a mistake.” Brighid fixed Moireach with a firm look, then turned her back to him. She’d said all she wanted, and she saw no benefit to arguing further with him. 

Moireach sighed. “Thank you,” he said. “I doubt I deserve your kindness or trust, and I stand by my statement that you can rescind that trust at any time.” Brighid tried to catch his eyes to smile encouragingly at him, but he was looking away, out towards the window. She stepped towards the door of the room, and when he didn’t make any move to stop her, she walked out. She’d leave him to his thoughts for a while. Maybe he would change his mind eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, or find it interesting, or you hate it, please leave a comment :) it really helps me understand what readers want/like and if something's going wrong, I can sort it.


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